UNDP Water and Sanitation Expert, GCF Project in Dhaka 132 views

Climate change, manifesting in the form of intensified cyclones, storm surges, and sea-level rise (SLR), is accelerating saltwater intrusion into the fresh water resources of the coastal belt of Bangladesh. Climate change-induced soil and water salinity is projected to adversely impact freshwater dependent agricultural livelihoods (leading to loss of productivity or livelihoods) as well as the availability and quality of drinking water in the vulnerable coastal communities. Furthermore, given the crucial role that women play in water security and household level resilience, and their socio-economic marginalization, the climate change-induced threat to agricultural livelihoods and drinking water security of the affected coastal communities disproportionately affects women and girls.

Therefore, the key objective of the proposed project is to support the Government of Bangladesh (GoB) in strengthening the adaptive capacities of coastal communities, especially women, to cope with impacts of climate change-induced salinity on their livelihoods and water security. GCF resources will be combined with GoB co-financing to address information, technical, financial and institutional barriers to implementing and managing resilient livelihoods and drinking water solutions for the vulnerable communities in the Southwestern coastal districts of Khulna and Satkhira. An estimated 719,229 people (about 245,516 direct and 473,713 indirect) will benefit from the proposed project interventions.

The proposed project will empower target communities, especially women, as ‘change-agents’ to plan, implement, and manage resilient livelihoods and drinking water solutions. The project will enable those communities to address climate change risks on livelihood and drinking water security to promote synergistic co-benefits. It will enhance the adaptive capacities of these communities in the face of worsening impacts of climate-change induced salinity on their freshwater resources which in turn adversely affect livelihood and drinking water requirements. GCF resources will be invested in promoting a diversification from currently non-adaptive, freshwater-reliant livelihoods of small-scale farmers, fishers, and agro-labourers towards climate-resilient agricultural livelihoods. GoB co-financing is leveraged to support adoption and scale of these alternative, climate-resilient agricultural livelihoods through strengthened value-chains and market linkages for their long-term viability in the face of increasing salinity and extreme weather. The project also utilizes GCF and GoB resources to support investments in and management of climate-resilient drinking water solutions to secure year-round, safe drinking water supplies for the targeted communities. Access to reliable, safe drinking water enables the communities, especially women and girls in targeted households, to invest the resulting time and cost savings and health co-benefits in enhanced livelihoods and income generating and/or educational opportunities. In turn, the enhanced incomes and livelihoods will enable the communities to sustain the investments in the drinking water supply solutions in the long-term. Finally, through investments in institutional capacities, knowledge dissemination and evidence-based learning, the project will enable pathways for replication and scale of project impact to secure livelihoods and drinking water across the vulnerable districts of the southwest coast of Bangladesh. The project yields significant environmental, social (including gender), and economic co-benefits including enhanced integrity of coastal ecosystems and freshwater resources; improved gender norms and women empowerment; and increased income and health benefits, estimated at USD15 million and USD4 million respectively over the project lifetime.

The project contributes towards GoB’s achievement of priorities outlined in the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) and its climate change strategies. The project objective speaks to the top five key near-term areas of intervention identified by the INDC to address adverse impacts of climate change including: 1) Food security, livelihood and health protection (incl. water security); 2) Comprehensive disaster management, 3) Coastal Zone Management, including Salinity Intrusion control, 4) Flood Control and Erosion protection, 5) Building Climate Resilient Infrastructure. Directly aligned to six of the fourteen broad adaptation actions prioritized by INDC, the project is implementing improved EWS, supporting climate resilient infrastructure, Tropical cyclones and storm surge protection, stress-tolerant variety improvement and cultivation, and Capacity Building at Individual and institutional level to plan and implement adaptation programmes and projects.

Under the overall guidance of the National Project Director and under direct supervision of the Project Coordinator, the Water and Sanitation Expert will lead the planning, development, and execution of new initiatives in the water supply and sanitation and rural/municipal infrastructure development and management, and relevant sector governance reforms.

Provides advice on Policies, Strategy, and Planning:

• Provide guidance in the implementation of a sustainable water and sanitation strategy with selected district/ Upazilas and relevant partners including DPHE, MoWCA and UNDP;
• Undertake policy dialogue with governments and other donor organizations on water and sanitation areas, including in the rural development thematic areas, and promote efficient use of resources and encourage participatory approaches to development planning, financing and sustainability;
• Work closely with project staff, government entities, and other stakeholders to design and implement targeted strategies for the improved community participation in improving the nutritional status of mothers and children;
• Lead in the water and sanitation sector and development of rural innovative programs that would accelerate achievement of the project interventions;
• Lead and provide advice on climate change vulnerability and disaster risk assessments and mitigation for rural areas in relation to water supply and sanitation;
• Lead in conducting thematic work around the areas of water supply and sanitation and rural development sector in the context of sustainable inclusive economic development, climate adaptation and poverty reduction;
• Undertake inter-regional studies and research to promote new technologies, policies and sector assessments;

Ensures effective management of the Project activities and focusing on quality control of the full cycle of programming from formulation to implementation achieving the following results:

• Ensure that WASH activities are coordinated with the local government, donors and NGOs working in the sector;
• Ensure that the team pro-actively manages the overall schedule (constrained within the project time frame);
• Participate in relevant coordination meeting to present project activities, ensure coordination with other projects, and assure highest quality of project implementation;
• Liaise and coordinate with development agencies, lead and support water and sanitation and rural development sector operations of the project and key partner (DPHE) in upstream portfolio development work, including targeted sector assessments, diagnostics and roadmaps;
• Lead in the identification, review and evaluation of water and sanitation projects, including rural development, possibly involving moderate to high levels of risk and complexity, as well as the recommendation of appropriate sector plans and the appropriate loan covenants and action plans.
• Ensure key technical, economic, financial, institutional and crosscutting issues are incorporated into projects;
• Lead WASH inputs and support to national WASH sector coordination and sanitation policy dialogue.
• Take the role of mission leader and supervise the work of mission members and ensure the overall high quality of outputs and reports.
• Serve as the technical lead on all WASH activities;

Provides advice on Capacity Building and management focusing on achievement of the following results:

• Provide technical and capability building support to selected upazilas in the development of water and sanitation measures with consideration of the project and identify opportunities for integrating climate resiliency in water and sanitation-related activities;
• Lead in conducting capacity building activities in water supply and sanitation sector policies and practices of Executing Agencies (EAs), including rural development;

Facilitation of knowledge Sharing and management focusing on achievement of the following results:

• Develop and maintain a suitable network in the water and sanitation sector to keep abreast of the latest developments and issues;
• Substantially contribute to activities for advocacy, dissemination and knowledge building around water supply and sanitation issues;
• Lead the design, oversight, and monitoring of WASH activities;
• Develop and maintain a knowledge database on the water sector covering;

1. the overall structure of the service, the decentralization process, the role of upazila and union parishad entities, a list of key service providers and financiers, investment needs over the short, medium and long term, investment trends and key enabling conditions to increase investments in the sector; and
2. information on best industry practice including the type of technical and operational due diligence needed for project preparation;

• Contribute detailed and accurate written inputs to fulfill project technical and financial reporting requirements;

Impact of Results

The key results have an impact on the overall success of the project activities.

Corporate Competencies:

• Demonstrates integrity by modelling the UN’s values and ethical standards
• Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability
• Treats all people fairly without favoritism
• Integration in a multidisciplinary environment

Functional Competencies:

Management and Leadership

• Focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to feedback
• Leads teams effectively and shows conflict resolution skills
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude
• Demonstrates strong oral and written communication skills
• Builds strong relationships with clients and external actors
• Remains calm, in control and good humoured even under pressure
• Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities
• Leveraging the resources of national governments and partners, and building strategic alliances and partnerships
• Developing and implementing conceptually innovative approaches to the provision of technical expertise.

Development and Operational Effectiveness

• Ability to lead strategic planning, results-based management and reporting
• Ability to lead formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development programmes and projects, mobilize resources
• Strong IT skills
• Ability to lead implementation of new systems (business side), and affect staff behavioural/ attitudinal change

Client Orientation

• Helps colleagues work effectively with clients in different contexts and from diverse backgrounds and country situations
• Adapts own approach and style when interacting with clients, as opposed to requiring them to adapt
• Draws upon international best practice in exploring solutions with clients
• Confirms the clients’ understanding and agreement before progressing

Achieving Results and Problem Solving

• Draws on own and others’ multi-country experience to identify viable courses of action when conducting analyses
• Helps internal and external clients achieve quality results beyond presenting problems and precedent
• Highlights possible solutions for project issues based on relevant multi-country and/or multi-client experience
• Regularly contributes insights and experiences to colleagues in the Division to help them achieve quality results
• Overcomes unexpected difficulties and challenges to produce desired outcomes

Innovation and Change

• Ability to supports work improvement and/or organizational change by work and deed
• Develops and adopts change plans to support Division initiatives on which one works
• Considers current and future client needs in proposing ideas
• Vocalizes early support for change
• Recommends inputs to new policies, systems and processes in immediate work area

Communication and Knowledge sharing

• Promotes a knowledge sharing and learning culture in the office
• In-depth knowledge on development issues
• Checks the audience’s level of understanding and awareness of required follow up actions
• Knowledge products endorsed for wider distribution based on lessons and multi-country experience
• Ability to advocate and provide policy advice
• Actively works towards continuing personal learning and development in one or more Practice Areas, acts on learning plan and applies newly acquired skills
• Adaptation and application of knowledge

Education:

• Minimum Master’s degree in Civil engineering, Environmental Engineering, Water Management, Hydrology, Public Health or a closely related field;

Experience:

The candidate should possess the following qualification to compete for the announced position:

• Minimum 3 years’ of technical advisory experience on WASH programming in a developing country setting and to adopt resilient livelihoods, while ensuring reliable, safe drinking water through community-managed rainwater harvesting solutions in south western coastal region in Bangladesh;
• At least 5 years of relevant professional experience in the field of Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), rural development, WASH sector development issues, local government, rural development, rural/urban infrastructure and climate change resilient planning, community development, social mobilization, and capacity build-up, or related areas of urban water and sanitation projects;
• Relevant experience in design of multi-sector projects, practical knowledge and experience in integration of financial, economic, social, institutional and safeguard requirements and issues in project design;
• Demonstrated experience working with or researching the impacts of infrastructure investments, water and sanitation projects highly preferred;
• A history of productive involvement with governmental health systems, processes and service delivery models in the field of safe water supply, WASH in schools, Baby WASH, WASH Governance and assisted in identifying innovative/good practices in developing countries;
• Understanding of laws on water and sanitation and long-standing experience in developing appropriate water and sanitation-related infrastructure at district/upazila levels;
• Practical experience in promoting sustainable development services through understanding and conceptualization of LGIs (Union & Upazila parishads and Municipalities) on Local Government and the sector;
• Demonstrated knowledge and background in community mobilization and engagement in developing appropriate water and sanitation-related infrastructure at district/upazila levels participatory exercise to facilitate community level sessions on WASH as appropriate and needed;
• Extensive experience working with Local Government Institutions (Municipalities, Upazila and Union Parishads) and other Government Institutions (Education, Heath, Agriculture etc.) especially in the context of Bangladesh and provided facilitation support in South Asia region;
• Demonstrated problem solving skills, collaboration experience, creativity and willingness to innovate and maintain liaison and dialogue with local and central government agencies, donors, research institutions, NGOs, the private sector and other institutions.

Language Requirements:

• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English.

Important applicant information

All posts in the SC categories are subject to local recruitment.

Applicant information about UNDP rosters

Note: UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement. We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

Workforce diversity

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, ethnicity and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and people living with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.

UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

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